Today’s stress free dog walk technique may just be the most important one yet, I daresay!

If your dog is already doing somersaults when you pick up their lead, or shying away from their harness, going nuts at the window or barking when the courier calls, your walks don’t have much chance of being stress-free. They carry that stress, excitement and overstimulation out onto the walk with them.

Calm walks start at home – and that’s exactly what today’s technique will do for you.

Here’s why.

Scentwork is highly engaging and tiring for dogs and it taps into their natural instincts. By encouraging your dog to use their nose before going on a walk, you help them burn off some of that excess energy, making them calmer before they leave the house.
Teaching your dog a scent game reinforces the habit of paying attention to you. By enjoying today’s activity together indoors, they are more likely to remain engaged with you during the walk, making it easier to get their focus.
Setting up designated scentwork opportunities, where your dog can satisfy their sniffing instincts under controlled circumstances, can reduce the obsession with pulling to follow animal scents, as they've already had a chance to engage their nose.
You can even chuck the items into a backpack and take them out on your walk with you for a connection-building, anti-pulling engagement break.

For a contented, calm dog, provide more sniffing opportunities! Use Cache before a walk to help them calm down from the ‘leash-on’ excitement or after a walk to help them switch off and settle into a deep sleep! It’s also the perfect rainy day activity.

You may not see these benefits straight away or all at once, but there is a reason scentwork has been scientifically proven time and time again to calm dogs. If your dog doesn’t seem calmer right away, there’s nothing wrong with you, with them, or with the method – it’s about consistency and combining this activity with the other strategies from this challenge, especially those from the Masterclasses. Believe me, scentwork is a potent calming tool when you adopt the low-stress lifestyle.

Here's what to do now:

Watch the training video.
Film your dog having a go and share your video with the hashtag #day3 #scentventure
Do whatever it takes to show up to tonight’s Masterclass LIVE at 7PM UK! I’m revealing the exact steps Becca followed to go from chaos at home and on walks to genuine calmness and connection – so you can learn from her triumphs and take away actionable insights and practical strategies to use immediately with your own dog. Follow the process Becca used to go from dreading the next walk to actually looking forward to them!
Here’s your upcoming weekend calendar: Click here to download it to your phone for easy access.

LIVE! Meet Becca & Freyja: The Stress Free Walkers

Time: Jan 16, 2026 07:00 PM London

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83930934963

Meeting ID: 839 3093 4963

Passcode: 683478

I’ve got something extra special for those of you who attend live tonight 🤩

Until then – let the calm begin!

Cache

Skill: Calming Collection

The Calming Collection is a kit of activities bursting at the seams that provide positive outlets for your dog’s endless exhausting energy. Use Calming Collection techniques for relaxation in the house and taking the edge off your dog’s energy before, during and after walks. We chose this particular Calming Collection activity for you today because you can do it at home and take it out onto walks!

Cache is a concentrated search, in a small area, for a single item – whether that's a single treat, a specific toy or a single container of target odour. With each repetition the search becomes more complex due to the ‘residual odour' left by the previous hides.

Equipment & Set Up:

Scent for your dog to find e.g. treats or a toy (or target odour if you have already trained them on this)
A range of safe items for your dog to search e.g. boxes, pots, containers, etc

Don’t get too hung up on what the items are! Have a quick wander around a few rooms and pick up whatever clutter you can find. Just make sure that everything is safe and suitable for your dog to be sniffing around e.g. nothing sharp, electronic or anything you wouldn’t allow them to touch normally.

Method:

Set up your ‘search area’ by placing your gathered items together on the floor. It's supposed to look messy and thrown together in a pile! Space them out a little so your dog is able to step over and around them whilst searching.
With your dog in front of you watching, place a single piece of food (or toy/target odour) just out of sight. Use a search cue (e.g. ‘Find It!’) to release them.
Once your dog is easily finding it, place the piece of food (or toy/odour) down in one position but pretend to put it somewhere else. This is called a ‘dummy drop’ and gets your dog using their nose instead of their eyes. Release your dog with your search cue.
Now start to set up your hide with your dog out of the room so they don't see. Make it easy at first to ensure they succeed. Open the door and release them with your search cue.
Spread your items out so your dog has to move between objects to search. This makes your dog’s mind, body and nose work harder, increasing their search stamina and leaving them tired and relaxed.

Adaptation for less confident dogs: don’t put the items in a pile that might move and spook them. Place the items with space in between and start by hiding the food/toy/odour on the edge of the search area until their confidence grows.